Shingles is a viral infection that causes a rash and, in some patients, debilitating pain. Remember suffering through the chickenpox? Varicella zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, can reappear in later life as shingles. Adults over 75 and people with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable.
Historically, shingles has been treated with antiviral and pain medications, antidepressants and topical creams. A newer technology, high-intensity light therapy with the HILT stem laser, has been successful in reducing pain in sessions that last only 10 or 15 minutes. It’s now available in Connecticut only at the Pain Treatment Center, according to Dr. Jonathan Kost, medical director of Pain Programming at Hartford Hospital.
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